Opinion & Prospective Dan J. Harkey

Dan’s Take on How Things Really Work. Truth, Consequences, and Comedy—Occasionally in that Order.

If you’ve ever felt like the official story doesn’t match what you’re seeing, you’re not alone.

Policies, markets, and institutions don’t just “happen”—they produce consequences. Some intended. Many not.

I break down what’s going on (and what’s really driving it) with sharp observations, plain-English logic, and a bit of humor- sifting through the lies, deceptions, and illusions to find the truth.

Dizzy Gillespie, jazz trumpeter, band leader, composer, educator, and singer. Active 1935-1993.

Dizzy Gillespie was not merely a jazz musician. He was a controlled explosion in a suit, a trumpet assassin with a grin, and one of the men who helped drag jazz out of polite entertainment and shove it into the realm of serious modern art.

Opinion & Prospective

Dan’s Take on How Things Really Work. Truth, Consequences, and Comedy—Occasionally in that Order.

Search Results

The Rorschach Inkblot Test:

What It Reveals—and Why It Still Provokes Debate

Billie Holiday: Jazz and swing music, career spanning over 26 years.

The Voice That Changed Jazz Forever

Woody Herman, jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader, had a career spanning over 30 years.

The Bandleader Who Refused to Stand Still

Harry James, Band Leader and Trumpet Player. Active from 1933 to 1983.

Trumpet Virtuoso and Big Band Powerhouse

Rodgers & Hart:

Composers Richard Rodgers and Lyricist Lorenz Hart together wrote 28 stage musicals and more than 500 songs until Hart’s death in 1943.

The California Legislature Has No Discipline: As They Spend Other People’s Money so Freely

Watching Public Projects Avoid Cost Discipline

Against the Grain:

Against the Grain: What It Means in Business, Real Estate, and Lending

Most people follow the crowd because it feels safe. In business, real estate, and lending, that instinct can be expensive.

Public Reporting on Borrowers: The Lender and Verified Facts #2

The Loan Underwriter’s Difference Between Due Diligence and Expensive Stupidity

Nothing Says “Freedom” Like Mandatory Slogans and Approved Opinions-Part II

10 Current U.S. Examples of Mandatory Speech / Approved-Opinion Pressure

Nothing Says “Freedom” Like Mandatory Slogans and Approved Opinions- Part I

Compelled Speech and Censorship: Tyranny in the Making

California’s Fraud Problem: Part II

A Plain English Explainer for Taxpayers and Borrowers

California’s Empire of Fraud: Part I

The California Legislature is full of People who don’t know the Difference Between Earned Money by Taxpayers and Other People’s Money. They combine both funds and use them irresponsibly on waste, fraud, and abuse.

Great Blues Artists:

While choosing a single “greatest” is subjective, most critics and historians center the conversation around three pivotal figures who define the genre’s past, present, and future:

“Bohemian Rhapsody” — Queen Breaks the Rulebook

“Bohemian Rhapsody,” released in 1975 on A Night at the Opera, isn’t just a song—it’s an event. In six minutes, Queen broke the rules of mid-70s rock radio, inspiring awe and curiosity in listeners to see what was possible

“You’re My Best Friend” — Queen’s Quiet Masterpiece of Loyalty

“You’re My Best Friend,” released in 1975 on A Night at the Opera, is one of Queen’s warmest and most human moments—proof that a band famous for bombast, operatic excess, and rock theatrics could also stop, smile, and mean every word.

Crony Capitalism vs. Oligarchy:

Why Distinction Matters.

Dizzy Gillespie, jazz trumpeter, band leader, composer, educator, and singer. Active 1935-1993.

Dizzy Gillespie was not merely a jazz musician. He was a controlled explosion in a suit, a trumpet assassin with a grin, and one of the men who helped drag jazz out of polite entertainment and shove it into the realm of serious modern art.

Glenn Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra:

Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra was an influential American dance band active from [1929] to [1963], recognized for shaping the development of big-band jazz and dance music in America, making it a key part of jazz History.

Ray Anthony: A Lasting Voice of the Big Band Era

Ray Anthony, bandleader, trumpeter, songwriter, and actor. Active from 1936 to the present. Last surviving Member of the Glenn Miller band.